gripping

adjective

grip·​ping ˈgri-piŋ How to pronounce gripping (audio)
: taking a powerful hold upon one's interest or feelings
a gripping thriller
Shabba Ranks has a gripping baritone voice that ranges from bedroom purr to locker-room-boast roar.Mark Coleman
grippingly adverb
a grippingly honest performance

Examples of gripping in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Transporter is a six-part, high-stakes thriller that follows transplant coordinator Niina on a gripping, life-or-death race against time. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025 Equipped with high-performance actuators, precision gripping, and 3D navigation, the robot offers a payload capacity of 26 pounds at full extension. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025 From the start the ambition was clear – to bring the myth of Pandora to life by reinventing it as a gripping reality experience that tests human nature. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025 DeBoer, who has elsewhere written about his own battles with mental health, tells a gripping story about one young woman’s descent into illness. Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gripping

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gripping was in 1896

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gripping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gripping. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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